The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened
Chapter 21
Doctor Bacon related to me, that Mr. Minito the Roman Apothecary, made him some conserve of Roses, in this manner. He took twelve pounds (of sixteen Ounces to the pound) of the best lump or Kitchin Sugar, and clarified it very well with whites of Eggs, using Spring-water in doing this. He made his reckoning, that his twelve pound of Sugar, came to be but nine pound, when all the scum was taken away, and the Sugar perfectly clarified. Boil it then to a Syrup, and when it is about half boiled, go roundly about your Rose-leaves. They must be picked and the white nails cut off before-hand; but begin not to beat them before your Syrup is half boiled. Then put thirty Ounces (which is two pound and an half of Roses to every pound of such Sugar) of your Red-Roses into the Mortar, and beat them well, squeesing into them, as you beat them, some of the subtilest and best part (which comes out first) of about two Limons, which brings out their colour finely. You must have finished beating your Roses, by then the Sugar is come by boiling to a high Syrup (for if you should let them lie still in the Air, but a little while, they would grow black, and of ill colour) then with your ladle put the Roses to the Sugar, and stir them very well in it, to Incorporate all well and uniformly together. So let them boil on gently (for all this while you take not your preserving pan from the fire, and a thick scum of the Roses will rise, which you scum off from time to time continually as it comes up, and reserve this in a pot by it self, for it will be good hard Sugar of Roses, and may be about an eight or ninth part of the whole. After it is clear from scum, and hath boiled near a quarter of an hour with the Roses in it, and that you see by a drop upon a plate, that it is of a due consistence; take your pan from the fire, and stir all very well together, and put it into pots, which leave uncovered during ten or twelve days, setting them in the hot strong Sun all the day long during that time, to give the Roses a fine hard crust or candy at the top; but under it, in the substance of the matter, it will be like a fine clear Syrupy gelly. If the Sun favour you not, then you may use a stove. After twelve days, tie covers of Paper, upon the pots.
Doctor Bacon useth to make a pleasant Julep of this Conserve of Roses, by putting a good spoonful of it into a large drinking glass or cup; upon which squeese the juyce of a Limon, and clip in unto it a little of the yellow rinde of the Limon; work these well together with the back of a spoon, putting water to it by little and little, till you have filled up the glass with Spring-water: so drink it. He sometimes passeth it through an Hypocras bag, and then it is a beautiful and pleasant Liquor.
_FINIS_
THE TABLE[2]
A
Scotch Ale from my Lady Holmbey 98
To make Ale drink quick 100
A very pleasant drink of Apples 100
Ale with Honey 104
Small Ale for the stone 105
Apple drink with Sugar, Honey, &c. 106
Master Webbs Ale and Bragot 107
To stew Apples 201
Apples in Gelly 234
Sweet-meat of Apples 238
To make an excellent syrup of Apples 253
B
Stewed Broth 125
Portugal Broth, as it was made for the Queen 127
Nourishing Broth 133
Broth and Potage 141
Broth for sick and convalescent Persons 143
A savoury and nourishing boiled Capon 133
To stew Beef 150
To stew a Rump of Beef 163, 196, 197
To rost Wilde Boar 168
About making of Brawn 205
To bake Beef 208
To boil Beef or Venison 209
Ordering Bacon for Gambons, and to keep 212
To make Bisket 219
C
To make Cider 100
Sir Paul Neal's way of making Cider 101
Dr. Harvey's pleasant Water Cider, whereof he used to drink much, making it his ordinary drink 103
A good Dish of Cream 116
An excellent Spanish Cream 116
Another Clouted Cream 117
My Lord of St. Alban's Cresme Fouettee 119
To make the Cream Curds 120
The Queens Barley Cream 139
Capon in White-broth 146
To make Cock-Ale 147
Savoury Collops of Veal 157
To pickle Capons my Lady Portland's way 159
Scotch Collops 167
Excellent good Collops 171
My Lady Diana Porter's Scotch Collops 181
Cream with Rice 191
Pickled Champignons 200
Sallet of cold Capon Rosted 206
To make Cheese cakes 214
Short and crisp Crust for Tarts and Pyes 215
To make a Cake 216
To make a Caraway-Cake 219
Excellent small Cakes 221
To make scalded Cheese 227
The Cream-Courds 228
Savoury tosted or melted Cheese 228
To feed Chicken 228
To fatten young Chicken in a wonderful degree 231
An excellent way to Cram Chicken 233
Gelly of Red Currants 255
Gelly of Currants with the fruit whole in it 255
D
To bake wilde Ducks or Teals 210
To Rost wilde Ducks 211
E
To butter Eggs with Cream 147
Portuguez Eggs 202
To boil Eggs 203
F
Wheaten Flomery 134
A Fricacee of Lamb-stones, &c. 158
To boil smoaked Flesh 164
A Fricacee of Veal 158, 182
Butter and Oyl to fry Fish 193
A Flomery-Caudle 238
G
Smallage Gruel 137
About water Gruel 138
An excellent and wholesome water Gruel with Wood sorrel and Currants 139
Gruel of Oatmeal and Rice 191
To make clear Gelly of Bran 203
An excellent meat of Goose or Turkey 212
To pickle an old fat Goose 212
H
Some Notes upon Honey 8
My Lord Hollis Hydromel 33
Hydromel as I made it weak for the Q. Mother 35
To make Honey drink 84
Weak Honey drink 107
To make an Hotchpot 149, 150
The Queens Hotchpot 151
A nourishing Hachy 158
Red Herrings boiled 173
To season Humble Pyes 210
To make Harts-horn Gelly 239-242
L
To dress Lampreys 184
M
Master Corsellises Antwerp Meath 9
To make excellent Meathe 10
A weaker, but very pleasant Meathe 11
An excellent white Meathe 11
Master Webbes Meathe 14-19
My own considerations for making of Meathe 19
My Lady Gower's white Meathe 26
Strong Meathe 32
A Receipt for making of Meathe 32
My Lord Morice's Meathe 39
My Lady Morice her Sisters Meathe 39
To make white Meath 41
Sir William Paston's Meathe 41
Another way of making Meathe 42
Sir Baynam Throckmorton's Meathe 42
My Lady Bellassises Meathe 45
My Lord Gorge his Meathe 54
Several sorts of Meathe, small and strong 56
To make Meathe 57
Sir John Arundel's white Meathe 57
To make a Meathe good for the Liver and Lungs 59
A very good Meathe 60
My Lord Herbert's Meathe 68
To make small white Meathe 80
Meathe from the Muscovian Ambassadour's Steward 81
Meathe with Raisins 96
A Receipt to make Metheglin as it is made at Liege, communicated by Mr. Masillon 5
White Metheglin of my Lady Hungerfords which is exceedingly praised 6
A Receipt to make a Tun of Metheglin 12
The Countess of Bullingbrook's white Metheg. 13
Metheglin composed by myself 25
Sir Thomas Gower's Metheglin for health 27
Metheglin for taste and colour 28
An excellent way of making white Metheglin 30
Several ways of making Metheglin 35
To make white Metheglin 31
Another Metheglin 46
Mr. Pierce's excellent white Metheglin 46
An excellent way to make Metheglin, called the Liquor of Life 51
To make good Metheglin 52
To make white Metheglin of Sir J. Fortescue 53
The Lady Vernon's white Metheglin 55
To make Metheglin 58
A most excellent Metheglin 61
To make white Metheg. of the Count. of Dorset 62
To make small Metheglin 69
The Earl of Denbigh's Metheglin 85
To make Metheglin that looks like White Wine 90
Metheglin, or sweet-drink of my Lady Stuart 93
A Metheg. for the Colick-Stone, of the same Lady 93
A Receipt for Metheglin of my Lady Windebanke 94
Marrow sops with Wine 145
To make a shoulder of Mutton like Venison 163
An excellent way of making Mutton steaks 170
To make Mustard 194
For roasting of Meat 196
Mutton baked with Venison 207
My Lord of Denbigh's Almond March-pane 221
Marmulate of Pippins 243
White Marmulate, the Queens way 248
My Lady of Bath's way 248
Marmulate of Cherries 251
Marmulate of Red Currants 256
O
A plain but good Spanish Oglia 164
To stew Oysters 183
P
Excellent Marrow-Spinage Pasties 159
To make a French Barley Posset 160
To make Puff-past 161
To make a Pudding with Puff past 161
To make Pear Puddings 162
Marrow Puddings 162
To make excellent Black Puddings 165
A Receipt to make White Puddings 166
To make an excellent Pudding 166
Pyes 168
To make Pith Puddings 172
An Oat-meal Pudding 174
To make Call Puddings 174
A Barley Pudding 175
A Pippin Pudding 175
To make a baked Oat-meal Pudding 176
A plain quaking Pudding 176
A good quaking Bag Pudding 177
To preserve Pippins in Jelly 180
To dress Poor-John, and Buckorn 187
To dress Parsneps 190
To butter Pease 191
A Herring Pye 192
To make an excellent Hare Pye 207
To bake Pidgeons, Teals or Wild ducks 209
Green-Geese Pye 209
To make a plain ordinary Posset 112
Concerning Potages 121
Plain savoury English Potage 122
Potage de blanc de Chapon 123
Ordinary Potage 124
Barley Potage 125
An English Potage 126
Another Potage 126
Nourissant Potage de santé 128
Potage de santé 129, 130
Good nourishing Potage 133
Pap of Oat-meal 135
Panado 135
Barley Pap 135
Oat-meal Pap. Sir John Colladon 136
Pressis-Nourissant 140
Pan-Cotto 141
My Lord Lumley's Pease-Potage 142
An excellent Posset 144
Pease of the seedy buds of Tulips 145
To make Plague-Water 147, 148
An excellent baked Pudding 154
My Lady of Portland's Minced Pyes 155
Minced Pyes 156
To feed Poultry 229
To feed Partridges that you have taken wilde 233
To make Puffs 234
Gelly of Pippins or John-Apples 236
Q
To keep Quinces all the year good 149
Gelly of Quinces 243
Preserved Quince with Gelly 245
To make fine white Gelly of Quinces 246
Paste of Quinces 248, 250
A smoothening Quiddany or Gelly of the Cores of Quinces 250
R [Transcribers note: R was missing in the original.]
Rice & Orge mondé 137
Boiled Rice dry 145
To Rost fine Meat 157
To make Red-Dear 163
Conserve of Red Roses 257, 259
S
Sack with Clove gilly-flowers 22
To make Stepponi 106
To make a Sack-posset 111
A Barley Sack-posset 113
My Lord of Carlile's Sack-posset 115
A Syllabub 115
To make a whip Syllabub 120
To make Spinage-broth 123
Sauce of Horse-Radish 151
Very good Sauce for Partridges and Chicken 160
To dress Stock-fish 186, 188
To prepare Shrimps for dressing 193
To make Slip-coat-Cheese 223-227
Sweet-meats of my Lady Windebanks 253
Sucket of Mallow-stalks 256
T
Tea with Eggs 132
A Tansy 183, 213, 214
To souce Turkeys 211
Pleasant Cordial Tablets 238
V
To stew a breast of Veal 150
Vuova Lattate 165
Vuova Spersa 165
Baked Venison 169
Tosts of Veal 193
W
Morello Wine 97
Currants Wine 98
The Countess of Newport's Cherry Wine 109
Strawberry Wine 109
To make Wine of Cherries alone 110
To make Rasbery-Wine 148
To make a White-pot 149, 195
Buttered Whitings with Eggs 187
To stew Wardens or Pears 201
Preserved Wardens 237
[Footnote 2: This Table reproduces the Index to the original volume. An Index on modern lines, for more ready reference, will be found on pages 287-291.]
APPENDIX I
SOME ADDITIONAL RECEIPTS
1. _Aqua Mirabilis_. Sir Kenelm Digby's way.
Take Cubebs, Gallingale, Cardamus, Mellilot-flowers, Cloves, Mace, Ginger, Cinammon, of each one dram bruised small, juyce of Celandine one pint, juyce of Spearmint half a pint, juyce of Balm half a pint, Sugar one pound, flower of Cowslips, Rosemary, Borage, Bugloss, Marigold, of each two drams, the best Sack three pints, strong Angelica-water one pint, red Rose-water half a pint; bruise the Spices & Flowers, & steep them in the Sack & juyces one night; the next morning distil it in an ordinary or glass-still, & first lay Harts-tongue leaves in the bottom of the still.
THE VERTUES OF THE PRECEDENT WATER
This water preserveth the Lungs without grievances, & helpeth them; being wounded, it suffereth the Blood not to putrifie, but multiplieth the same. This water suffereth not the heart to burn, nor melancholly, nor the Spleen to be lifted up above nature: it expelleth the Rheum, preserveth the Stomach, conserveth Youth, & procureth a good Colour: it preserveth Memory, it destroyeth the Palsie: If this be given to one a dying, a spoonful of it reviveth him; in the Summer use one spoonful a week fasting; in the Winter two spoonfuls.
The above receipt is given in the 3rd edition of _The Closet Opened_, 1677, also in _The Queen's Closet Opened_.
2. _Another more precious Cosmetick, or beautifying Water, by Sir_ Kenelm Digby.
Take White Lillies six drams, Florence Orrice Roots, Beans, Cicers, Lupins, of each half an ounce, fresh Bean-flowers a handful, Gum Tragant, White Lead, fine Sugar, of each half an ounce, Crums of white Bread, (steeped in Milk) an ounce, Frankincense, and Gum Arabick of each three drams, Borax, and feather'd Allom of each two drams, the White of an Egg, Camphire a dram and a half; infuse them four and twenty hours in a sufficient quantity of Rose and Bean-flower water, equal parts; then distil it in _B.M._
_This Water smooths, whitens, beautifies & preserves the Complexions of Ladies. They may wash their Faces with it at any time, but especially Morning and Evening_.
3. _Another richer Perfume; being pleasant and wholesome, to perfume Tobacco taken in a Pipe_.
Take Balm of Peru half an ounce, seven or eight Drops of Oyl of Cinamon, Oyl of Cloves five drops, Oyl of Nutmegs, of Thyme, of Lavender, of Fennel, of Aniseeds (all drawn by distillation) of each a like quantity, or more or less as you like the Odour, and would have it strongest; incorporate with these half a dram of Ambergrease; make all these into a Paste; which keep in a Box; when you have fill'd your Pipe of Tobacco, put upon it about the bigness of a Pin's Head of this Composition.
_It will make the Smoak most pleasantly odoriferous, both to the Takers, and to them that come into the Room; and ones Breath will be sweet all the day after. It also comforts the Head and Brains._ Approved by Sir _Kenelm Digby_.
From Hartman, _The True Preserver of Health_, 1682.
APPENDIX II
_The true Preparation of the Powder of Sympathy, as it was prepared every year in Sir_ Kenelm Digby's _Elaboratory, and as I prepare it now_.
Take good English Vitriol, which you may buy for two pence a pound, dissolve it in warm water, using no more water than will dissolve it, leaving some of the Impurest part at the bottom undissolved; then powr it off and filtre it, which you may do by a Coffin of fine gray paper put into a Funnel, or by laying a Sheet of gray Paper in a Sieve, and powring your water or Dissolution of Vitriol into it by degrees, setting the Sieve upon a large Pan to receive the filtred Liquor; when all your Liquor is filtred, boil it in an earthen Vessel glazed, till you see a thin Scum upon it; then Set it in a Cellar to cool, covering it loosly, so that nothing may fall in; after two or three days standing, powr off the liquor, and you will find at the bottom and on the sides large and fair green Christals like Emerauds; drain off all the Water clean from them, and dry them; then spread them abroad, in a large flat earthen Dish, & expose them to the hot Sun in the Dog-days, taking them in at Night, and setting them out in the Morning, securing them from the Rain; and when the Sun hath calcin'd them to whiteness, beat them to Powder, & set this Powder again in the Sun, stirring it sometimes, and when you see it perfectly white, powder it, & sift it finely, and set it again in the Sun for a day, and you will have a pure white Powder, which is the Powder of Sympathy; which put up in a Glass, and stop it close. The next yeare when the Dog-days come, if you have any of this Powder left, you may expose it again in the Sun, spreading it abroad to renew its Vertue by the influence of the Sun-beams.
The way of Curing Wounds, with it, is, to take some of the Blood upon a Rag, and put some of the Powder upon the Blood, then keep only the Wound clean, with a clean Linnen about it, and in a moderate Temper betwixt hot and cold, and wrap up the Rag with the Blood, and keep it either in your Pocket, or in a Box, & the Wound will be healed without any Oyntment or Plaister, and without any pain. But if the wound be somewhat old, and hot, and inflamed, you must put some of this Powder into a Porringer or Bason full of cold Water, and then put any thing into it that hath been upon the wound, and hath some of the Blood or Matter upon it, and it will presently take away all Pain and Inflammation, as you see in Sir _Kenelm's_ Relation of Mr. _Howard [sic]_.
To staunch the Blood either of a Wound or Bleeding at the Nose, take only some of the Blood upon a Rag, & put some powder upon it, or take a Bason with fresh water, and put some of the Powder into it, and bath the Nostrils with it.
From Hartman, _The Preserver of Health_.
APPENDIX III
A LIST OF THE HERBS, FLOWERS, FRUITS, ETC., REFERRED TO IN _The Closet Opened:_--
I. Agrimony; alexander; angelica; avens, leaves & flowers; balm; bay-leaves; beet leaves; bettony, wild; bettony, Paul's; bistort; bloodwort; bluebottles; blue-button; borage, leaves & flowers; bramble, red, tops of; broom-buds; bugle; bugloss, leaves & flowers; burnet; carduus benedictus; carrot, wild; celandine; cersevril; chicory; chives; clove gilly-flowers; clown's all-heal; coltsfoot; comfrey; cowslip & French cowslip flowers; dragons; elder flowers; endive; eyebright; fennel; fever-few; garlic; ground-ivy; groundsel; hart's tongue, leaves; hops, flowers; horehound; hypericum, tops & flowers; hyssop; ladies' mantle; lettuce, leaves & stalks; lily of the valley; liquorice; liverwort; maidenhair; marigold, flowers & leaves; marjoram, sweet; marjoram, wild; marshmallow, leaves, flowers, & stalks; may-weed, brown; meadowsweet; mellilot, flowers; mint; spearmint; mouse-ear; mugwort; muscovy; nettle, red; oak of Jerusalem; organ; origanum [wild marjoram]; oseille; parietary; peas (chick); pellitory-of-the-wall; penny-royal; philipendula; pimpernel; pourpier; primrose, flowers; purslane; ribwort; rocket; rosemary, tops, flowers, & sprigs; rose; rue; sage, (red & wild), leaves & flowers; saxifrage; sanicle; scabious; scurvy grass; self-heal; shallots; sibboulets; skirrets; smallage; sorrel (wood); spike [spignel?]; spleenwort; spinach; St. John's wort; strawberry leaves; sweetbriar, leaves, tops, buds; sweet oak; sweetwort; tamarisk; tansy; thyme (broad, lemon, mother, & wild); violet, leaves & flowers; wallflowers (yellow); wall rue; watercress; wheat (green); white-wort; winter savoury; woodbine; wormwood (sea & Roman); yarrow. (From this list I have omitted the commoner vegetables.)
2. _Roots_.--Alexander; angelica; asparagus; beet; betony, bittersweet; bluebottle; borage; coltsfoot; elecampane; eringo; fennel; fern; galingale; horse-radish; marshmallow; nettle (red); orris; parsley; scabious; sorrel; strawberry; succory; thyme (wild); tormentilla.
3. _Seeds_.--Anise; cardamom; carraway; citron; coriander; fennel; gromwell; melon; musk grains; mustard; nettle; parsley; saffron; tulip, seedy buds of; wormwood.
4. _Fruits_.--Apples (codlings, ginet moils, pearmains, pippins, golden pippins, red streaks); apricots; barberries; bilberries; cherries (black, Kentish, Morello); currants (dried, black, red); damsons; dates; jujubes; juniper berries; lemons; pears (bon chrétien & wardens); plums; prunes; raisins; rasps; sweetbriar berries; strawberries.
5. _Barks, woods._--Ash-tree bark; lignum cassiæ.
6. _Nuts_.--Almonds; chestnuts; pine kernels; pistachios; walnuts (green).
7. _Juices_.--Balm; celandine; cherry; hop; lemon; onion; orange; spearmint; spinach; tansy.
8.--_Distilled waters_ of angelica; cinnamon; mallow; orange-flower; plantain; rose (red & damask).
9. _Spices_ of all sorts; cloves; cinnamon (also oil of, & spirit of); ginger; mace; mustard; nutmeg; pepper; peppercorns.
10. _Wines_.--Canary sack; claret; Deal; elder; Malaga (old); Muscat; Muscadine (Greek); red; Rhenish; sack, sherry sack; Spanish; white.
11. _Other liquors_.--Ale & beer; afterworts; lees of beer & wine; aqua vitæ; orangeado.
12. _Vinegars_ of elder wine, & of white wine.
13. _Verjuice_ of cider, & green sour grapes.
14. _Other notable seasonings and ingredients_:--
Ambergris; ivory; leaf gold; powder of white amber; powder of pearl; Spanish pastilles (ambergris, sugar, & musk).
NOTES
_Introduction_
p. x 1. 3 _Old Cookery Books and Ancient Cuisine_. By W. Carew Hazlitt. Booklovers' Library. 1886.
p. x 1. 5 _The Life of Sir Kenelm Digby_. By One of his Descendants [T. Longueville]. 1896.
p. xi 1. 29 For the controversy about the date of his birth, see the usual biographical authorities:--Longueville, _op. cit._, Digby's _Memoirs_, ed. Nicolas, 1827; _Dict. of Nat. Biog._; _Biog. Brit._ (Kippis); Wood's _Athenae Oxon._, iii. 688; Aubrey's _Lives_, ii. 323, etc. etc.
p. xiv 1. 13 "the elder Lady Digby." See text, p. 141.
p. xv 1. 15 "manuscript of elections." See W.H. Black's _Catalogue of the Ashmolean MSS._, 240, 131 and 1730, 166.
p. xx 1. 20 _Journal of a Voyage to Scanderoon_, ed. J. Bruce for Camden Soc., 1868.
p. xxi 1. 3 "Scanderoon had to be repudiated." Here is a curious echo of the affair, quoted by Mr. Longueville from Blundell of Crosby. "When the same Sir Kenelm was provoked in the King's presence (upon occasion of the old business of Scanderoon) by the Venetian Ambassador, who told the King it was very strange that his Majesty should slight so much his ancient amity with the most noble state of Europe, for the affections which he bore to a man (meaning Sir Kenelm) whose father was a traitor, his wife a ----, and himself a pirate, altho' he made not the least reply (as long as the ambassador remained in England) to those great reproaches, yet after, when the quality of his enemy was changed (by his return) to that of a private person, Sir Kenelm posted after him to Italy. There sending him a challenge (from some neighbouring state) he found the discreet Magnifico as silent in Italy as himself had been in England, and so he returned home."
p. xxii 1. 13 The _Memoirs_ were edited by Sir N.H. Nicolas from the Harleian MS. 6758 in 1827.
p. xxii 1. 28 "outburst of vile poetry." See _Poems from Sir K.D.'s papers_, ed. Warner. Roxburghe Club, 1877.
p. xxiii 1. 16 "hermit." The portrait of Digby in this guise, painted by Janssen, in the possession of T. Longueville, Esq., is reproduced in Mr. Longueville's life of his ancestor. Says Pennant in his _Journey from Chester to London_, ed. 1782, "I know of no persons who are painted in greater variety than this illustrious pair [Digby and his wife]: probably because they were the finest subjects of the time."
p. xxv 1. 3 "duel ... with a French lord." See the curious little pamphlet, _Sir Kenelme Digby's Honour Maintained_, 1641.
p. xxvi 1. I The _Observations on Religio Medici_, together with the correspondence between Browne and Digby, are often reprinted with the text of _R.M._
p. xxvi 1. 5 "glass-making." See Longueville, pp. 255-6
p. xxix 1. 11 Descartes. Des Maizeaux. _Viede Saint-Evremond,_ pp. 80-6.
p. xxxi 1. 8 _A Late Discourse made in a Solemne Assembly of Nobles and Learned Men at Montpellier_. By Sir K.D., Kt. Rendered faithfully into English by R. White. 2nd ed., 1658. The original was in French. Longueville gives a loathsome receipt for the Sympathetic Powder from an original in the Ashmolean. "To make a salve yt healeth though a man be 30 miles off." But vitriol is the only ingredient Digby mentions; and the receipt given by his steward Hartman [see Appendix], and sold by him, is more likely to be Digby's. Of course, there were many claimants to the credit of the invention of sympathetic powders.
p. xxxiii 1. 4 "house in Covent Garden." For a brief account of this house, see an article on Hogarth's London in the _English Review_, February, 1910.